I have a small, white, fluffy shadow that follows me from room to room each day. He’s roughly ten pounds and defined by a wagging tail, a comic underbite, a deep desire to sleep the day away and a compulsion to beg for ‘people food’.
He’s stealth. Unless he’s dreaming, or catches a glimpse of another dog strolling by…he’s silent.
Meet Shortstop….the only four-legged member of our family, but a constant source of companionship and happy.
Find the Right Dog For You: Questions to Ask
- Are you a big or small dog family?
- How much time do you spend at home?
- Do you need a breed that doesn’t shed?
- Are you active? (like to hike, run, explore?) Or are you looking for a pet to stroll quietly in the evening?
- Do you need a breed known to be gentle/tolerant of small children?
And once you decide on the dog for your family – there is the task of readying your home.
Home Readiness for Your Dog
- Choose a Veterinarian – This professional will help you to understand your pet’s needs – especially if you find yourself concerned.
- Prepare the family – Talk to your children about the best ways to engage (tackling isn’t the best option).
- Divide and Conquer – Who will be responsible for feeding? For house-training? For walking your new friend?
- Pro-tip: Winter is a tough time to house-train your new addition – especially if you live in areas prone to ice and snow. (This was a learned experience for us.)
As you may know, a good part of Royal Canin’s mission is to honor and celebrate the bond that exists between a family and their four-legged friend.
We began our day with Shortstop’s TV debut on KSDK-TV.
I suggest you keep an eye on the Gateway Arch calendar for next year. ArchBark St. Louis is an event you and your pup will want to have circled.
Disclosure: I’m happy to have partnered with Royal Canin, not only to share these tips with you, but to encourage you to celebrate the bond with your favorite dog or puppy.
Your pup is so cute. I’m more of a cat person but I really enjoyed reading this.
Thank you so much. I’ve always been a cat person too – my last lived 18 years with me….but my son is allergic, so we can’t have kittens in the house.
I have three friends this week that lost their dogs from old age. The will eventually get a new fur baby. Will send and share this with them. Never realized what all you should consider when choosing a new member of the family.
Oh Candy – I am so sorry for your friends….I know how hard that is. Will be thinking about them.
ADORABLE pup and now I want one, lol. I have allergies so unfortunately can’t live with pets, though. My boyfriend’s parents have two cute pups as well.
Oh thank you! He’s a good little guy. We have to be careful about allergies as well – my son is extremely allergic to cats, so there won’t be kittens in our future, but for Shortstop, we needed a dog that wouldn’t shed – so he is perfect.
I love the check list for dog qualities. Those are all very important. One year, we fostered over 80 puppies for F.A.I.R (foundation for animals at risk) in Tucson Arizona and they were very particular about who they would have adopt the puppies. (Our numbers were so high because we would take in a litter of puppies and the momma dog so we would be having 6-10 dogs every month or so coming through the house.) This is the segue to the best family Christmas story ever… When the kids were little, like 4 & 6, and really into fostering the dogs (and cats). We had a couple of of problem animals that we just couldn’t place. We had a momma dog, who was a puller and a cat, who was more than a little bit twitchy. During the Christmas sermon, the preacher asked the Sunday school kids for their Christmas wish. Our little ones approached the pulpit with love and kindness in their hearts. They knew they wanted to find a home for these animals, who had been through so much. In front of the whole congregation, they said they wanted to get rid of Hope and Tranquility so all we will have left in our house was Glory. We immediate summarized from the glaring eyes that they didn’t know Hope was a momma dog, Tranquility was a nervous cat, and Glory was a puppy that we were adopting. Oh what words comes from the mouth of babes.
I simply love this story. I so hope you were able to find the perfect homes for Hope and Tranquility 🙂 And I’m amazed that your family has been fostering and loving so many animals. This would honestly be my daughter’s dream…she is the biggest animal lover in our family.
It is a big decision to have a dog and picking the right breed that fits your family is so important. This is awesome!
The longer he is with us, the more I realize just how perfect he is for us….I’m glad we put as much thought in to him as we did.
We have a golden retriever and he is the right dog for our family. I can’t imagine life without him.
I so love to hear that. We feel exactly the same about Shortstop. 🙂
Great tips! And what a cute dog! We heard about the new Arch grounds, and it looks awesome. Glad to hear it’s pet-friendly too!
Thank you so much, Cheryl – if you are ever visiting STL, you must stop by the new Arch grounds – they are beautiful. I’m thrilled they have made such beautiful upgrades.
Your dog is darling! We have 2 of our own. I definitely agree, you have to get the right dog for your family. That ArchBark is super cool, look at all those dogs! You make me want to pack up my dogs and drive down to St. Louis.
Oh Jodi – thank you so much. He is sometimes a bit of a mess, but I wouldn’t change him for anything. And you are certainly welcome here in STL anytime!
These are great tips. It’s so important to make sure that your pup is a good choice for your family, especially when you have kids.
Thank you, and yes – finding a dog that is a good fit for kiddos is super important.
I was so happy almost 8 years ago now when we were choosing our pup he was the best fit for us! It’s so important to make sure the breed is right and that you are in it for the long haul! We love our pups!
I love that your pup joined your family when ours did – eight years ago. I can’t imagine our family without him.
My husband loves bigger dogs. I like little dogs that would be easier to take with us places. So, since we are so mixed, we choose not to have any dogs until one of us changes our mind. ha!
Ha! Yes – compromise will be key for the two of you. As both my husband and I were raised with little dogs, it was an easier decision for us 🙂 Good luck!
These pics are really cute. A dog that fits in with a family becomes a family member.
Thank you so much – he is, most definitely a member of our family.
Oh, the joy that the dogs bring! Thank you for these tips, I believe these are important things to consider, thanks for sharing!
They do bring so much joy, don’t they? Our little guy has been at my feet all day.
We have three sweet boys that were all rescue babies. All three of them have different personalities but I love them all the same. I just made them some homemade treats today.
Love that you spoil them with the handmade treats. I’m thinking about looking for a second pup for our family and was considering rescuing as well.
It is sooo important to find the right dog breed for you and your family! They are all so different and there’s so much you have to learn and research. Such a lengthy process that I think a lot of people don’t realize!
I so agree – before diving in, I thought only about ‘small dog’ vs ‘big’ 🙂
What a precious little dog! We have 2, but have inherited them: a French Bulldog and a Golden Retriever mix. I would have labeled us a big dog family, but the little guy has fit in well :).
He’s an adorable little guy!
Hi Danielle! Thank you for sharing great tips on choosing the right dog/puppy for your family. I pinned the cute photo of you and your sweet dog out on my Animal Friends Pinterest page so others can find your post. My mother became a dog trainer {really training people and their dogs, as you know! :)} after retiring from working with the severely handicapped in education, and eventually won many utility dog trials throughout the east and midwest with her Goldens and a dalmation. She also wrote for dog magazines until she passed from cancer, so it’s really nice to see good advice as so many people make the wrong choice in their pets and then the poor animals end up back in a shelter or worse. It sure looks like ArchBark was a great success!
Thanks again and I really enjoyed your post,
Barb 🙂
Barb – you are wonderful. Thank you so much for your kind words and for sharing my post. Shortstop is simply a regular part of our family – I can’t imagine us without him….being thoughtful about our decisions made sure we had just the right new ‘friend’ for our family. I love that your mom instilled such a strong love of animals in you. She sounds like treasure.
Siberian huskies are stunning animals, with their thick fur coat and piercing eyes. Most people who choose a Husky do so for their extraordinary beauty.